Camp Bow Wow

Company: Camp Bow Wow, Boulder, CO
Company Description: Camp Bow Wow, is the premier Overnight Boarding and Doggy Day Care franchise in North America and was founded in 2001 by Heidi Ganahl (Flammang) who was the 2008 Stevie Award winner for Best Entrepenuer, Service Business. We employ 20 Corporate employees and have sold 200 franchises with 100 open facilities.
Nomination Category: Company/Organization Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Best Overall Company of the Year – Service Businesses – up to 100 Employees

Nomination Title: Camp Bow Wow

Describe for the judges the activities and accomplishments of the nominated company during the eligibility period (up to 500 words):

In just nine years, Camp Bow Wow has earned the reputation as the premier
doggy day and overnight camp in North America. Since 2003, Camp Bow Wow
has sold more than 200 franchises in 38 states, and 1 franchise in Canada. It’s no
wonder that Entrepreneur magazine named Camp Bow Wow one of the top 105-
fastest growing franchises in North America, and as one of the top 50-fasted
growing women-owned/-led franchises in 2008.

Every Camp Bow Wow facility is as unique as its owner. All are state-of-the-art
facilities created to provide a welcoming environment with amenities designed to
ensure that the dogs in their care are provided with the exercise and nurturing
they require to enjoy their stay. The pups are encouraged to play and romp with each
other in one of the camps’ climate controlled indoor and outdoor play yards, and
can go between them at will. Overnight campers play in the play yards during the
day. In the evening, they retire to a private cabin furnished with a comfy cot, a
fleece blanket, and they receive a delicious Campfire Treat.

All campers are required to participate in a free interview day at camp before they
can enroll as a regular camper. The interview day allows the camp counselors to
get to know the pup and how he/she interacts with other dogs. Each camper is
assigned to a play yard according to his/her size and temperament. All campers
must be neutered or spayed if over 6-months old, up to date on their rabies and
distemper vaccinations, have had a Bordetella vaccination within the last 6
months, and be in good general health.  Campers at Camp Bow Wow are
supervised by a staff of Certified Camp Counselors® trained in pet CPR and first
aid, dog behavior, safety and health management. To ensure the happiness
and safety of all campers, the camps are staffed with a minimum of 1 counselor for
every 15 campers at all times. Proud puppy parents can look in on their campers
by logging on to their camp’s website to watch the real-time camp activities
broadcast by one of the many Camper Cams® installed around the camp.

As Camp Bow Wow grows, our simple philosophy remains the same:
It’s all about the dogs.

Home Buddies by Camp Bow Wow®

New In-Home Pet Services Franchise is Backed by the Camp Bow Wow® Brand
The latest brainchild from Camp Bow Wow creator Heidi Ganahl, Home Buddies,
builds upon the Camp Bow Wow mantra, “It’s all about the dogs,” and applies it to
all family pets. The new in-home service was designed to provide an antidote for
the stress pet parents feel when leaving their furry, feathery and fishy broods at
home alone. Home Buddies is dedicated to keeping a pet family together and
happy while their parents are away at work, running errands or jetting off for a
well-earned vacation.

The service was created in response to Camp Bow Wow parents who have other
pets needing care at home – new born pups, elderly or infirmed dogs, cats, birds
and fish – who aren’t eligible to attend camp. Each locally owned Home Buddies
provides pet owners with a menu of services so clients can customize care and
services to meet their pet family’s needs. Home Buddies services include dog
walking, daytime and overnight care and poop scoop cleanups and administering
care to special needs pets. Pet parents, who can’t bear to be away from their
brood, can rent Home Buddies CamsTM, similar to the cameras used at Camp
Bow Wow locations, and have them installed in their homes so they can look in on
their family by logging on to the internet. Some Home Buddies will also offer Bark
N’ Ride pet taxi services to Camp or vet appointments, Dog Adventure Outings,
mobile dog grooming and in-home training.

List the URLs (web addresses) of any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that you would like the judges to see that support your entry. IMPORTANT: List each URL on a separate line, begin each URL with http://, and enclose each URL in square brackets. For example, [http://www.yourcompany.com/pressrelease.html]:

http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2009/08/10/daily53.html?ana=from_rss
http://www.cobizmag.com/images/uploads/lists/WomensListAlpha_cbMAY09.pdf   
http://www.cobizmag.com/articles/50-colorado-companies-fueling-the-economic-fire/
http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS154901+14-Jan-2009+MW20090114
http://www.entrepreneur.com/women50
http://www.campbowwowusa.com/pdfs/LeedsAdvisoryBoard.pdf
http://www.petproductnews.com/headlines/2009/06/25/home-buddies-by-camp-bow-wow-experiences-
faster-than-expected-growth.aspx
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Camp-Bow-Wow-Dog-Care-iw-1286763108.html?x=0&.v=1
http://www.pr-inside.com/dogs-gone-green-camp-bow-wow-r1375685.htm

Provide a brief biography of the person or persons who lead the nominated company (up to 100 words):

Heidi Ganahl, Founder and Leader of the Pack
Camp Bow Wow® and Home Buddies by Camp Bow Wow®
Leader of the Pet Services Industry

Heidi Ganahl and her late husband Bion had just put the finishing touches on their
business plan and were looking for the perfect site for their new enterprise, when
he died in a tragic flying accident in 1994. To honor his memory she pursued their
joint dream, opening the first Camp Bow Wow in Denver, CO, in 2000. She began
franchising the concept – a day and overnight camp for dogs, where the pups can
socialize and play all day instead of being confined to traditional kennels – in
2003.

Since then, Camp Bow Wow has grown into a $30 million business, having sold
more than 200 franchises in 38 states, and 1 in Canada, and earned the reputation
as the premier doggy day care and overnight care provider in North America.
Heidi’s success and lifelong commitment to the well-being of dogs led her to
establish The Bow Wow Buddies Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated
to improving the lives and health of dogs everywhere, through supporting foster and
re-homing programs, spay and neuter efforts, disaster assistance, canine
cancer research, animal welfare education and shelter improvements.
Over the course of her journey from novice business owner to impassioned
entrepreneur, Heidi has inspired countless individuals with her story. She’s
addressed entrepreneurs, franchisors and franchisees, women in business, pet
industry professionals and groups interested in causebased
marketing sharing her message that accomplishment and success is
accompanied by hard work and, oftentimes, hardship, but that each step in the
journey is one from which to learn, draw inspiration and ultimately find reward.
It’s no wonder that Entrepreneur magazine named Camp Bow Wow one of the top 105-
fastest growing franchises in North America, and as one of the top 50-fastest
growing women-owned/led franchises in 2008. She was interviewed on CNBC’s
The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch and featured on America Online, Business
Week Online, CNN Money, Parenting, Entrepreneur, Franchise Times, The New
York Times, The Denver Post, The Rocky Mountain News, Ladies Who Launch,
and More Magazine. Heidi’s accomplishments were also recognized when she
was named as the recipient of The 2008 Stevie Award for Best Entrepreneur from
the creators of the American Business Awards ST and as one of the Top 5
Mompreneurs for 2009. Heidi has done it all while caring for her 13-year-old-
daughter Tori, and is expecting another child shortly.

In November 2008, with sales of pet products and services expected to continue to
grow, Heidi announced the development of her second franchise company: Home
Buddies by Camp Bow Wow, a pet care service designed to provide care for the
whole pet family – whether furry, feathery or scaly – in the comfort of their own
home. Already a success, Home Buddies currently has 15 franchise owner's
signed on since the beginning of 2009 and anticipates a total of 30 owner's open
and operating by the end of the year.